Education
Lotz attended Baylor University in Waco, Texas, where he played for the Baylor Bears basketball team
Lotz attended Baylor University in Waco, Texas, where he played for the Baylor Bears basketball team
Lotz was best known as the head coach of the Florida Gators men"s basketball team, and as a long-time assistant under coach Dean Smith of the North Carolina Tar Heels men"s basketball team He later transferred to East Texas State College (now known as Texas Agricultural and Mechanical University–Commerce) in Commerce, Texas, where he earned his bachelor"s and master"s degrees. He began his coaching career at high schools in Norwich and Massapequa, New York before moving up to the college level
Lotz served as an assistant coach for the North Carolina Tar Heels men"s basketball team of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, North Carolina under head coach Dean Smith from 1965 to 1973.
During his eight seasons with Smith"s Tar Heels, the team made four appearances in the Final Four of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament. Lotz became the head coach of the Florida Gators men"s basketball team of the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, a position he held from 1973 to 1980.
After his coaching career ended in 1980, Lotz returned to Chapel Hill as an assistant athletic director at University of North Carolina and directed the University of North Carolina"s community outreach program He involved hundreds of North Carolina student-athletes in various volunteer projects, including the Thanksgiving food drive for underprivileged families, the Juvenile Diabetes Walkathon, and clothing collections for the needy.
Lotz died in Chapel Hill on May 5, 2001, after a brief fight with a malignant brain tumor.
He was 64 years old. The Fellowship of Christian Athletes (Farm Credit Administration) inducted Lotz into its "Hall of Champions" in 2001. In 2003, the Farm Credit Administration established its annual John Lotz Barnabas Award to "honor a basketball coach who best exhibits a commitment to Christ, integrity, encouragement to others and lives a balanced life".
Past winners include John Wooden and Steve Alford.